CarComplaints.com Notes: Most people need a car that shifts gears & coil springs that don't shred tires. The Taurus fails in that respect.
The 2003 Ford Taurus has major issues with the transmission failing. Typically the 2003 Taurus transmission failure costs $2,000 to fix by about 90k-100k miles. Not good.
Adding insult to injury, the 1999-2003 Taurus also has a huge problem with coil springs breaking which can puncture or even shred tires while driving.
The US government spent THREE YEARS (2008-2011) investigating the 2002-2003 Taurus coil springs. Although Taurus/Sable from earlier years were recalled, ultimately the NHTSA did not force a recall. They determined that because there had been no deaths & very few bad crashes & injuries, the broken coil springs defect was no big deal & not a safety defect. Tell that to all the owners who had close calls...
Headlights will not turn off even when car is turned off. We pulled every switch to test them, disconnected the pcm and hooked the battery cable back up and lights were still on. Totally disconnected the fuse box inside, you guessed it, they were still on. Every time I get in and out of the car, I have to pop the hood and disconnect the battery cable. When I find the solution, I will tell the world!!!!!!!!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Headlights will not turn off even when car is turned off. We pulled every switch to test them, disconnected the pcm and hooked the battery cable back up and lights were still on. Totally disconnected the fuse box inside, you guessed it, they were still on. Every time I get in and out of the car, I have to pop the hood and disconnect the battery cable. When I find the solution, I will tell the world!!!!!!!!
- lorieb, Columbus, MS, US